Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With 

the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

Chapter E of

2011 Floods of the Central United States

Professional Paper 1798–E

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
Front cover. Top photograph: View of flooding from Nebraska City, Nebraska, looking east across the Missouri River, August 2, 2011. 

Photograph by Robert Swanson, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). 

Left photograph: Flooded structure in the New Madrid Floodway, 11 days after activation, May 13, 2011. 

Photograph by Todd Koenig, USGS. 

Right photograph: USGS scientists navigate New Madrid Floodway backwater to install floodway sensors, April 29, 2011. 

Photograph by Todd Koenig, USGS.

Back cover. View from flooded Mississippi River looking west toward the New Madrid Floodway, May 21, 2011. 

Photograph by Ryan Beaulin, USGS.
Documenting the Stages and Streamflows 

Associated With the 2011 Activation of the 

New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

By Todd A. Koenig and Robert R. Holmes, Jr.

Chapter E of

2011 Floods of the Central United States

Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Professional Paper 1798–E

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

SALLY JEWELL, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2013

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as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.

Suggested citation:

Koenig, T.A., and Holmes, R.R., Jr., 2013, Documenting the stages and streamflows associated with the 2011 

activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1798–E, 31 p.,

http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1798e/.
iii

Contents

Abstract...........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

Methods for Assessing Hydrodynamics in the Area of the New Madrid Floodway ..........................8

Stage Recording Within the Floodway..............................................................................................8

Continuous Stage and Streamflow of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers near the 

New Madrid Floodway ...........................................................................................................9

Discrete Hydrodynamic Measurements Within and Near the New Madrid Floodway..........10

Hydrodynamic Data Associated With the Activation of the New Madrid Floodway .......................13

Stages Within the New Madrid Floodway After Activation ........................................................13

Continuous Stage and Streamflow Data.........................................................................................17

Discrete Observations of Streamflow, Velocity, and Depth.........................................................17

Measurement Locations...........................................................................................................17

Types of Data Files.....................................................................................................................20

Summary........................................................................................................................................................21

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................21

Glossary.........................................................................................................................................................23

Figures

1. Map of the New Madrid Floodway study area........................................................................2

2. Map showing low-lying areas adjacent to the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers

protected by the New Madrid Floodway ..................................................................................3

3. Photograph of U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist installing a submersible pressure

transducer in the New Madrid Floodway.................................................................................4

4. Map of the New Madrid Floodway showing 43 water level recording locations..............5

5. Photograph of the detonation of the upper inflow fuse-plug levee near Birds Point

at 10:03 p.m. on May 2, 2011........................................................................................................6

6. Stage hydrograph for the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois............................................................6

7. Landsat satellite images showing the Ohio and Mississippi River confluence and

New Madrid Floodway on October 14, 2010, before the 2011 floods and on May 10,

2011, after the activation of the floodway.................................................................................7

8. Photograph showing submersible pressure transducer similar to that used in the

New Madrid Floodway.................................................................................................................8

9. Photograph showing a lag bolt used to mark the location and elevation of a

recovered submersible pressure transducer..........................................................................9

10. Map showing approximate locations of streamflow measurements from April 28 to

June 14, 2011, in and near the New Madrid Floodway.........................................................11

11. Example acoustic measurement transect at the Mississippi River above Cairo,

Illinois including May 1, 2011 transect path drawn over May 7, 2011 satellite 

imagery (inundation similar to May 1), and cross-section graph of water velocity 

magnitudes collected during the transect .............................................................................12

12. Example contents from New Madrid Floodway comma-separated values file

showing station number, date/time, and water-surface elevation.....................................13
iv

13. Water-surface elevation hydrographs for station experiencing natural backwater

effects prior to New Madrid Floodway activation and station experiencing first

submersion resulting from New Madrid Floodway activation............................................14

14. Hydrographs of the New Madrid Floodway showing a comparison of the total

inflows and total outflows, the components of the total inflow, and the components

of the total outflow......................................................................................................................18

15. Illustration showing a typical acoustic Doppler current profiler measurement

ensemble and bin........................................................................................................................20

Tables

1. Maximum rates of water level rise for locations in the New Madrid Floodway..............15

2. Summary of temporary stage recorder data..........................................................................16

3. Diagram relating streamflow measurement stations on the Mississippi River near

Wickliffe, Kentucky.....................................................................................................................19

4. Streamflow measurements at stations near the New Madrid Floodway during the

Midwest floods of 2011 ..............................................................................................................24
v

Conversion Factors

Inch/Pound to SI

Multiply By To obtain

Length

inch (in.) 2.54 centimeter (cm)

inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter (mm)

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

Area

acre 4,047 square meter (m2

)

acre 0.004047 square kilometer (km2

)

Volume

cubic foot (ft3

) 0.02832 cubic meter (m3) 

Flow rate

foot per second (ft/s) 0.3048 meter per second (m/s)

cubic foot per second (ft3

/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s)

Pressure

pound per square inch (lb/in2

) 6.895 kilopascal (kPa) 

SI to Inch/Pound

Multiply By To obtain

Length

centimeter (cm) 0.3937 inch (in.)

millimeter (mm) 0.03937 inch (in.)

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) 

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)

Area

square meter (m2

) 0.0002471 acre 

square kilometer (km2

) 247.1 acre

Volume

cubic meter (m3

) 35.31 cubic foot (ft3)

Flow rate

meter per second (m/s) 3.281 foot per second (ft/s) 

cubic meter per second (m3

/s) 35.31 cubic foot per second (ft3/s)

Pressure

kilopascal (kPa) 0.1450 pound per square inch (lb/in2

) 

Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 

(NAVD 88).

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83).

Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum.

Concentrations of chemical constituents in water are given either in milligrams per liter (mg/L) 

or micrograms per liter (μg/L).

Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated 

With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, 

Missouri

By Todd A. Koenig and Robert R. Holmes, Jr.

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey initiated a substantial effort 

in the summer of 2011 to measure and document the recordsetting floods of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, including 

the reach in and near the New Madrid Floodway. The activation of the floodway, which had not occurred since 1937, 

provided a rare opportunity to collect a unique dataset describing a flood wave downstream from a levee breach as well as 

the flow through a large floodway. A total of 42 submersible 

pressure transducers collected time series of water levels while 

crews collected hundreds of depth, velocity, and streamflow 

measurements at selected locations in and near the floodway 

throughout the period from late April to late June. These data 

are presented in this chapter. 

Introduction

In the spring and summer of 2011, concurrent floods 

developed in the two primary subbasins of the Mississippi 

River: the Ohio River and the upper Mississippi River (defined 

here as the part of the Mississippi River above the confluence 

with the Ohio River). As the separate flood waves traveled 

toward their confluence in April 2011, the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) was alerted to the possibility that the New 

Madrid Floodway (hereafter referred to as “the floodway”), 

shown in figure 1, might be activated for the first time since 

1937 (Mississippi River Commission, 2012).

The floodway, which is often called the Bird’s Point-New 

Madrid Floodway in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 

literature, occupies 133,000 acres along the right (west) bank 

of the Mississippi River immediately below its confluence 

with the Ohio River (confluence area). The initial floodway 

construction was completed in October 1932 (Camillo, 2012, 

p. 42) as part of the larger Mississippi Rivers and Tributaries 

Project (MR&T), administered by the Mississippi River Commission under the supervision of the USACE. The floodway 

has been a source of considerable controversy since the Flood 

Control Act of 1928 authorized the MR&T in the aftermath 

of the devastating 1927 flood in the Mississippi River Basin 

(Mississippi River Commission, 2011). The USACE is 

authorized to operate the floodway to reduce river elevations, 

upstream from and adjacent to the floodway, that threaten 

areas such as Cairo, Ill. and the 2.5 million acres (fig. 2) 

stretching from Commerce, Missouri to just upstream from 

Helena, Arkansas (Mississippi River Commission, 2011).

Activation of the floodway intentionally floods over 

133,000 acres of Missouri farm land. In 2011, it displaced 

230 people (Camillo, 2012, p. 87) and flooded their homes. 

As the Mississippi River Commission (MRC) weighed the 

consequences of activating the floodway in April of 2011, the 

State of Missouri pursued a court injunction to stop the MRC 

from activating the floodway, which was finally denied by the 

U.S. Supreme Court on May 1, 2011 (Camillo, 2012, p. 89).

Given the significant controversy, the impact on future 

water resources management decisions on the Mississippi 

River, and the scientific opportunity to understand the hydrodynamics of a large levee breach, the USGS initiated an effort 

to collect hydrodynamic and other associated data before, during, and after activation of the floodway. 
2 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

MISSOURI

ILLINOIS

ARKANSAS

KENTUCKY

TENNESSEE

New Madrid Floodway

Frontline levee

Setback levee

Levee breach

EXPLANATION

Upper

breach

Lower

breach

Middle breach Permanent

outflow

opening

Metropolis

Thebes

Cairo

Wickliffe

Wyatt

Charleston

Sikeston

East Prairie

Hickman

New Madrid

Tiptonville

Birds Point

89°40’ 89°30’ 89°20’ 89°10’ 89°’00’ 88°50’ 88°40’

37°10’

37°00’

36°50’

36°40’

36°30’

36°20’

Base from U.S. Geological Survey and Esri digital data, variously dated, various scales

Shaded relief from National Atlas of the United States conterminous United States shaded relief, 2006, 200-meter resolution 

Universal Transverse Mercator, zone 16, central meridian 89°20’W

North American Datum 1983 (NAD 83)

Map area Cairo

Helena

Memphis

St.Louis

ILLINOIS

ILLINOIS

MISSOURI

MISSOURI

MISSOURI

KENTUCKY

KENTUCKY

KENTUCKY

KY.

TENNESSEE

TENNESSEE

Ohio River

0 5 10 15 MILES

0 5 10 15 KILOMETERS

Mississippi River

Mississippi River

Levees modified from U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers National Levee Database, 2013

Figure 1. The New Madrid Floodway study area.
Introduction 3

Figure 2. Low-lying areas adjacent to the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers protected by the New Madrid Floodway.

Tiptonville

Chester

Metropolis

Thebes

Commerce

Thebes

Commerce

Paducah Cairo

Wickliffe

Sikeston

Poplar Bluff

Hickman

Metropolis

Paducah Cairo

Wickliffe

Poplar Bluff

Hickman

Tiptonville

Jonesboro

Memphis

Jonesboro

Memphis

Helena

Jonesboro

Memphis

Helena

91° 90° 89° 88°

37°

36°

35°

TENNESSEE

MISSOURI ISSOURI

MISSISSIPPI

KENTUCKY

INDIANA

ILLINOIS

ARKANSAS RKANSAS

ALABAMA

TENNESSEE

MISSOURI

MISSISSIPPI

KENTUCKY

ILLINOIS

ALABAMA

0 20 40 60 MILES

0 20 40 60 KILOMETERS

40

240

55

69

40

55

57

24

155

Ohio River

New Madrid Floodway

Levee protected area

EXPLANATION

New Madrid

Mississippi RiverMississippi River

Ohio River

Mississippi River

Base from U.S. Geological Survey and Esri digital data, variously dated, various scales

Shaded relief from National Atlas of the United States conterminous United States shaded relief, 2006, 200-meter resolution 

Universal Transverse Mercator, zone 16, central meridian 89°20’W

North American Datum 1983 (NAD 83)

Levee protected area modified from U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers National Levee Database, 2013
4 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

USGS teams began making daily discrete observations 

of streamflow of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers on April 

28, 2011, at strategic locations upstream, downstream, and 

adjacent to the floodway. These measurements and ancillary 

data supported both the USACE flood fight efforts and the 

National Weather Service (NWS) river forecasting efforts. 

NWS forecasts of the flood magnitude and timing were crucial 

as the upstream flood waves coursing down the Mississippi 

and Ohio Rivers simultaneously arrived at the confluence 

area near Cairo, Ill. Given the unique opportunity to collect 

detailed data of the floodplain’s hydraulic response to a levee 

breach, the USGS obtained access to the floodway from the 

State of Missouri and instrumented the floodway with autonomous submersible pressure transducers (SPTs), similar to the 

SPT shown in figure 3, in the event of floodway activation. On 

the evening of April 28, 2011, a USGS team deployed the first 

of 38 spatially distributed SPTs (fig. 4), each with the ability 

to collect a time series of water level data. The team finished 

deploying the last of these SPTs less than 24 hours later.

The USACE activated the floodway by detonating explosives just after 10:00 p.m. on May 2, 2011, within a 9,000-foot 

section of levee at the upstream end near Birds Point (Camillo, 

2012, p. 118, fig. 5). The activation of the floodway lowered 

the river stage at Cairo, Ill. by more than 0.4 feet in the first 

hour and nearly 1 foot in the first 6 hours (fig. 6). Comparisons 

of satellite images taken 7 months before the flood and 1 week 

after the activation of the floodway (fig. 7) demonstrate the 

immense capacity of the floodway as well as the extensive 

overbank flooding that existed during the period. 

The purpose of this report is to present the data collected 

by the USGS in cooperation with the USACE in and near the 

floodway from April 28, 2011 to June 14, 2011. Methods used 

to collect and process these data also are presented.

Figure 3. U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist installing a submersible pressure transducer in the New Madrid Floodway.
Introduction 5

h1

h2

h3 h4

h5 h6

h7

h8

h9

h10 h11 h12 h13

h14

h15

h16

h17 h18 h19

h22 h20 h21

h23

h24

h25

h26

h27 h28

h29

h30

h31

h32

h34 h33 h35

h36

h37 h38

s1

s2

s3

s4

s5

ILLINOIS

ILLINOIS

MISSOURI

MISSOURI

KENTUCKY

KENTUCKY

KENTUCKY

Upper inflow breach

Permanent

outflow 

opening

Lower

breach

(outflow)

Middle

breach

(inflow)

Cairo

Wickliffe

Wyatt

Charleston

East Prairie

Hickman

New Madrid

BIG OAK TREE

STATE PARK

Birds Point

89°30’ 89°20’ 89°10’ 89°00’

37°00’

36°50’

36°40’

0 2 4 6 MILES

0 2 4 6 KILOMETERS

Mississippi River

Mississippi River

New Madrid Floodway

Frontline levee

Setback levee

Levee breach

Rising stage sensor

Receding stage sensor

EXPLANATION

s5

h25

Ohio River

Base from U.S. Geological Survey and Esri digital data, variously dated, various scales

Shaded relief from National Atlas of the United States conterminous United States shaded relief, 2006, 200-meter resolution 

Universal Transverse Mercator, zone 16, central meridian 89°20’W

North American Datum 1983 (NAD 83)

Levees modified from U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers National Levee Database, 2013

Figure 4. Map of the New Madrid Floodway showing 43 water level recording locations.
6 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

May 2 May 3 April May

Stage, in feet

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20

National Weather Service flood stage

National Weather Service 

major flood stage

60.0

60.5

61.0

61.5

62.0

13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00 01:00 03:00 05:00

New Madrid Floodway

activation: May 2, 22:03 New Madrid Floodway

activation: May 2, 22:03

Figure 6. Stage hydrograph for the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois (station number 365939089084601). Data from Jeanne Burns, 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hydraulics Branch, written commun., 2012.

Figure 5. Detonation of the upper inflow fuse-plug levee near 

Birds Point at 10:03 p.m. on May 2, 2011.
Introduction 7

0 5 10 15 MILES

0 5 10 15 KILOMETERS

Images from U.S. Geological Survey Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper images, 2010

A. October 14, 2010 B. May 10, 2011

Boundary of New Madrid Floodway

EXPLANATION

Figure 7. Landsat satellite images showing the Ohio and Mississippi River confluence and New Madrid Floodway A, on October 14, 

2010, before the 2011 floods and B, on May 10, 2011, after the activation of the floodway.
8 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

Methods for Assessing Hydrodynamics 

in the Area of the New Madrid 

Floodway

During the 2011 flooding, USGS data collection efforts 

in the floodway were focused primarily on the time series of 

water levels (stage) at selected points within the floodway, and 

velocity and streamflow in and around the floodway. Remote 

sensing data, including Landsat imagery, also were collected 

during and after the flood. After the water levels receded in the 

floodway, the USGS surveyed the elevation and position of, 

and retrieved the data from, each SPT and converted the stage 

measurements to water-surface elevation. USGS crews also 

collected hydrodynamic data (water velocity and streamflow) 

using real-time, boat-mounted acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs; Mueller and Wagner, 2009) throughout the event 

period.

Stage Recording Within the Floodway

The opportunity to study the progression of a large-scale 

levee-breach induced flood wave through an area as large as 

the floodway is rare. USGS staff deployed SPTs throughout 

the floodway for the purpose of recording stage data (fig. 4). 

These data would provide details about the flooding process if 

activation was elected by the USACE. Data gathered from the 

SPTs would be useful for understanding dam and levee breaks, 

and for calibrating computer models designed to simulate 

them.

On April 28 and 29, 2011, USGS personnel placed 

38 SPTs for sensing rising stage in the floodway (fig. 4). Six 

SPTs were placed in areas already inundated by backwater 

from the floodway’s natural opening near New Madrid, Mo. 

and another five were placed in locations that became submerged prior to floodway activation on May 2. The remaining 

27 SPTs were placed in locations that were not submerged 

until the activation. Three primary factors affected the choice 

of locations for the SPTs:

• Covering the entire length of the floodway with the 

38 SPTs available

• Capturing more spatial density near the upper breach

• Mounting SPTs to structures that would not move 

during the event

The devices were programmed to record absolute pressure 

every 30 seconds and cease recording when their memory 

capacity was filled (approximately 14 days). In addition to the 

38 rising-stage SPTs, 3 more SPTs were placed outside the 

reach of flood water for sensing barometric pressure, which 

is needed to compute the water elevations from the absolute 

pressures recorded by the submerged SPTs. McGee and others 

(2005) provides a description of how these data are used to 

compute water-surface elevations.

A typical SPT used in this study contains a ceramic pressure sensor, battery, storage memory, and optical interface, all 

within a factory-sealed, stainless steel container. An SPT is 

suspended inside a protective steel pipe with openings at the 

top and bottom to allow water to move freely around the SPT. 

A closeup photo of a typical SPT is shown in figure 8. Each 

SPT measures the absolute pressure surrounding the sensor at 

the nose of the SPT. The absolute pressure includes both water 

pressure and the barometric pressure above the water. Subtracting the barometric pressure from each absolute pressure 

reading results in a water pressure value that can be mathematically converted to water depth above the sensor (McGee 

and others, 2005). If the elevation of the sensor is known with 

some level of accuracy, then the water elevation throughout 

the time period can also be established with similar accuracy. 

The resulting dataset contains a time series of water elevation 

from the moment that each SPT became submerged until it 

stopped recording or the water receded below the sensor.

Figure 8. Submersible pressure transducer similar to that used 

in the New Madrid Floodway.
Methods for Assessing Hydrodynamics in the Area of the New Madrid Floodway 9

Figure 9. A lag bolt used to mark the location and elevation of a 

recovered submersible pressure transducer.

Because the original 38 SPTs would run out of memory 

prior to the flood recession, 5 additional SPTs were deployed 

in the floodway to record the receding water elevation beginning May 18. The smaller number of SPTs available for 

recording the water’s recession resulted in a more geographically limited dataset than the rising water dataset (fig. 4). To 

ensure that these SPTs would record data for the duration of 

the recession, they were programmed to record data every 

15 minutes from May 18 through their recovery by USGS 

personnel. Therefore, a total of 43 SPTs were installed in the 

floodway for the purpose of recording stage: 38 measuring the 

rise and 5 measuring the recession. 

As the water levels in the floodway receded, recovery of 

the SPTs began in late May 2011 and concluded in mid-July 

2011. During recovery, USGS personnel established durable 

reference marks that were surveyed to establish the elevation 

of each SPT (fig. 9). Photos and notes also were recorded and 

archived for each location.

As each SPT was returned to the USGS office, data were 

downloaded using an optical interface and analyzed against air 

pressure samples to produce water-depth time-series datasets. 

Survey crews used a Level II global navigation satellite system (GNSS) survey (Rydlund, 2012) to establish the elevation 

of each sensor above the North American Vertical Datum of 

1988. Adding these elevations to the depth datasets resulted in 

water-surface elevation time-series datasets. 

Because many datasets included an initial period of hours 

or days for which the sensor had not yet become submerged, 

each dataset was trimmed to retain only that part of the data 

representing measurable water elevation above the sensor. The 

trimmed water elevation datasets were exported into individual location datasets in comma-separated values (CSV) format 

and uploaded to the USGS National Water Information System 

(NWIS) (U.S. Geological Survey, 2008). Because the NWIS 

system loader can only accept 1 measurement for each 1-minute time slot, the 30-second data collected by the 38 SPTs as 

the floodway filled were generalized to 1-minute data as every 

other measurement was accepted by the loader. Analysis of 

the datasets indicates that this generalization resulted in no 

substantial loss of meaningful data. 

One device in the dataset recorded no pressure readings 

greater than the surrounding barometric pressure, indicating 

that water never exceeded the elevation of 312.77 feet at that 

location (fig. 4, map site number h28). Consequently, there is 

no water elevation dataset available for this station, and only 

37 water elevation datasets are available for the rising period.

The 15-minute data collected by the five receding period 

SPTs were processed in a similar manner as the rising period 

SPT data and stored in NWIS without time generalization. 

Thus, a total of 42 water level datasets are available: 37 for the 

rise and 5 for the recession. 

Continuous Stage and Streamflow of the 

Mississippi and Ohio Rivers near the New 

Madrid Floodway

The important role of permanent streamgages should 

not be overlooked in any discussion on flooding. In the midst 

of the 2011 floods, long-term established streamgages provided real-time information to forecasters and decisionmakers 

regarding the status of river elevations and streamflow, both 

in their vicinity and at upstream locations. The NWS used the 

streamgage data to forecast critically important streamflows 

and stages. The reliability of NWS forecasts would be diminished without observed data from streamgages to validate and 

calibrate the forecast models (Mason and Weiger, 1995).
10 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

Discrete Hydrodynamic Measurements Within 

and Near the New Madrid Floodway

As the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers approached record 

flood levels in 2011, hydrodynamic measurements, including 

water velocity, depth, and streamflow rate, became indispensable for flood management and navigational safety while 

forming an important dataset for scientific study. The USGS 

deployed field crews to make frequent (sometimes daily) 

measurements of velocity, depth, and streamflow at key locations in and around the floodway. These locations included the 

inflow and outflow points of the floodway and several locations on the main stems of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, 

including flow across the adjacent floodplains (fig. 10).

The hydrodynamic measurements were made with boatmounted ADCPs capable of measuring three-dimensional 

water velocities throughout the water column, along with the 

water depth and cross section width. When the value of the 

streamflow was desired, the velocity, depth, and width data 

were used to compute total streamflow rates. 

Data from a typical ADCP measurement are shown in 

figure 11. As the downward-looking ADCP travels across 

the water surface, sound waves transmitted by the device are 

reflected by scatterers (typically suspended sediment) from 

the water column back to the device. The frequency shift 

detected by the ADCP in the return signal indicates the speed 

of the particles and thus the speed of the water at locations 

throughout the water column (Mueller and Wagner, 2009). The 

device also can determine water depth by listening for stronger 

return signals off the streambed. Cross section width also is 

determined by measuring boat speed and direction. By collecting and compiling these data, the ADCP software provides 

detailed riverbed profiles and three-dimensional velocity profiles at many locations in the cross section as the boat moves 

across the river. When streamflow measurement is desired, 

velocity measurements in each small subsection of the flow 

are multiplied by the area of each section and then summed for 

the entire cross section to compute a total streamflow in the 

river. A complete discussion of ADCP theory, as well as how 

these data are collected and presented, is provided by Mueller 

and Wagner (2009).

Routine streamflow measurements in normal river channels can be made quickly and consistently using ADCPs, but 

the extreme conditions presented during the 2011 flood added 

time and complexity to each measurement. Accurate measurement of the total streamflow of the Mississippi and Ohio 

Rivers required measurement of flow moving through large 

overbank areas in addition to the main channels. This required 

careful navigation through shallow waters and groves of 

vegetation, and frequent assessment of the data quality. When 

data quality was degraded, notes were taken and used during 

final processing of these data. Inside the floodway, swift flows 

near the inflow at Birds Point and the growth of a scour hole in 

the hours and days immediately following activation required 

special attention to detail and safety. 
Methods for Assessing Hydrodynamics in the Area of the New Madrid Floodway 11

 Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois

03611500 Ohio River at Metropolis, Illinois

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee breach

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois 365730089063001 Mississippi River below Ohio confluence

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois

07024070 Mississippi River at Hickman, Kentucky

363618089251701 Combined outflow

365659089073101 Upper inflow breach at Birds Point

363524089302700 Outflow 1,500-foot gap 63524089302700 Outflow 1,500 foot gap

363454089285900 Lower breach (outflow)

363740089180601 Middle breach (inflow)

BIG OAK TREE

STATE PARK

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee

363439089315501

Mississippi River 

at New Madrid, 

Missouri

 Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois

03611500 Ohio River at Metropolis, Illinois

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee breach

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois 365730089063001 Mississippi River below Ohio confluence

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois

07024070 Mississippi River at Hickman, Kentucky

363618089251701 Combined outflow

365659089073101 Upper inflow breach at Birds Point

363454089285900 Lower breach (outflow)

363740089180601 Middle breach (inflow)

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee

363439089315501

Mississippi River 

at New Madrid, 

Missouri

Metropolis

Thebes

Cairo

Wickliffe

Wyatt

Charleston

Sikeston

East Prairie

Hickman

New Madrid

Tiptonville

Birds

Point

89°40’ 89°30’ 89°20’ 89°10’ 89°’00’ 88°50’ 88°40’

37°10’

37°00’

36°50’

36°40’

36°30’

36°20’

Levees modified from U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers National Levee Database, 2013

ILLINOIS

ILLINOIS

MISSOURI

MISSOURI

MISSOURI

KENTUCKY

KENTUCKY

KENTUCKY

KY.

TENNESSEE

TENNESSEE

Ohio River

0 5 10 15 MILES

0 5 10 15 KILOMETERS

Mississippi River

Mississippi River

New Madrid Floodway

Frontline levee

Setback levee

U.S. Geological Survey streamflow 

measurement locations with 

station number and name

EXPLANATION

Levee breach measurements

Non-breach measurements

Base from U.S. Geological Survey and Esri digital data, variously dated, various scales

Shaded relief from National Atlas of the United States conterminous United States shaded relief, 2006, 200-meter resolution 

Universal Transverse Mercator, zone 16, central meridian 89°20’W

North American Datum 1983 (NAD 83)

Figure 10. Approximate locations of streamflow measurements from April 28 to June 14, 2011, in and near the New Madrid Floodway.
12 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Water velocity (magnitude), in feet per second

EXPLANATION

Velocity measurement upper limit (values above are estimated)

Velocity measurement lower limit (values below are estimated)

Depth of channel bottom

A A׳

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000

Transect straight-line distance, in feet

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Depth, in feet

B

89°14’ 89°13’ 89°12’ 89°11’

37°00'30”

37°00’

36°59’30”

36°59’

Image from Google, GeoEye Imagery, 2013. Image date: May 7, 2011

World Geodetic System 1984, central meridian 89°12’W

0 2,500 5,000 FEET

0 750 1,500 METERS

A

׳A

A

Figure 11. Example acoustic measurement transect at the Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois (station 

number 370000089122601) including A, May 1, 2011 transect path drawn over May 7, 2011 satellite imagery 

(inundation similar to May 1), and B, cross-section graph of water velocity magnitudes collected during the 

transect.
Hydrodynamic Data Associated With the Activation of the New Madrid Floodway 13

The area near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi 

Rivers is hydrodynamically complicated. Two large rivers 

with a total drainage area of almost 903,000 square miles 

converge, both having large overbank areas (some as wide 

as 2 miles beyond the banks of the main channel). Within 

1.5 miles below the confluence—less than the flooded width 

at that point—their total flow will split if the floodway is 

activated, potentially diverting as much as 22 percent of their 

combined flow through the floodway (Mississippi River Commission, 2012) . Because of the complex flow patterns through 

this area, particularly with the activation of the floodway, the 

USGS was asked to map the near-surface water velocities 

prior to and after the activation of the floodway. These velocity maps, available at http://water.usgs.gov/floods/events/2011/

BPNM/data_archive/, assisted the U.S. Coast Guard in 

determining if navigation traffic could safely pass near the 

floodway after the activation. Changes in the magnitude and 

direction of flows of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers could 

have resulted in a dangerous situation for shipping traffic, 

particularly in the reach around the bridges at Cairo and in the 

immediate vicinity of Birds Point where the water was being 

diverted. The USGS observations indicated no appreciable 

changes in water velocity magnitude and direction near the 

shipping channels, enabling the U.S. Coast Guard to confidently open that stretch of the Mississippi River to navigation 

traffic after the last floodway detonation. 

Streamflow measurements were made upstream from the 

confluence near Cairo for the Mississippi River (station number 370000089122601) and for the Ohio River (station number 

365939089084601) (fig. 10). Each measurement consisted 

of a main channel part and an overflow part as a result of the 

high flood stages of the rivers. Main channel measurements 

in these areas were fairly routine, despite the dangers of swift 

flows and river traffic. Overbank areas for both locations were 

large and difficult to measure. As explained in the Measurement Locations section of this report, the eastern overbanks of 

the Ohio River proved difficult to measure during the first few 

days of measurements. Likewise, overflows of the Mississippi 

River proved challenging as waters receded.

Prior to the activation of the floodway, crews made measurements of the combined upper Mississippi River and Ohio 

River flows at a location just downstream from the confluence 

near Wickliffe, Kentucky (station number 365730089063001) 

(fig. 10); however, this location was coincident with the location of the levee fuse plug at Birds Point and thus coincident 

with the inflow to the floodway once it was activated. Accurately differentiating the streamflow split between the Mississippi River and floodway anywhere along the activated fuse 

plug at this location would be impossible after the activation. 

As a result, after the floodway was activated on May 2, measurement crews moved to station number 365638089060600, 

immediately downstream from the breach. When combined 

with the streamflow measurements inside the upper inflow 

breach (365659089073101), these three stations represent the 

total flow immediately below the confluence of the Mississippi 

and Ohio Rivers. To summarize all three components, station 

number 07022300 was created for a location near Wickliffe. 

More information about the relation among these four station 

numbers can be found in the Measurement Locations section 

and table 3 of this report. 

Hydrodynamic Data Associated With 

the Activation of the New Madrid 

Floodway

The data presented in this report have been posted to the 

USGS Flood Information Web site at http://water.usgs.gov/

floods/events/2011/BPNM/data_archive/, which is called the 

“data archive” in the remainder of this document. In addition, 

much of the stage and streamflow data described here have 

also been posted for permanent archival and public access in 

the USGS NWISweb service, accessible at http://waterdata.

usgs.gov/. The remainder of this report describes in detail the 

information that is available in these two locations.

Stages Within the New Madrid Floodway After 

Activation

Time-series water-surface elevation data for 42 floodway SPTs are available in the data archive. The posted CSV 

file for each SPT contains station number, date/time, and 

water-surface elevation at 1-minute intervals (during rise) 

or 15-minute intervals (during recession), as shown in the 

example in figure 12. 

Figure 12. Example contents from New Madrid Floodway 

comma-separated values (CSV) file showing station number, 

date/time, and water-surface elevation.

Every record includes the station number, which allows the 

user to avoid ambiguity among SPTs when combining multiple CSV files for time-series analysis. An additional CSV file 

has been provided, which includes the station number, latitude, 

longitude, sensor elevation, and elevation uncertainty of each 

SPT. In addition, links to online and downloadable maps of 

the data collection locations are provided on the USGS Flood 

Information Web site. The USGS NWISweb service also 

allows the user to download similar data. Using NWISweb, 
14 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

users can quickly generate hydrographs and see mapped locations for each SPT.

Users of the time-series stage data described above will 

notice a number of interesting characteristics in the data, some 

of which are described here. One of the most noticeable characteristics is the variation in the time when water first began to 

rise past each SPT sensor. As would be expected, SPTs nearer 

the detonated upper inflow fuse-plug levee documented rising 

water-level elevations sooner than those farther downstream. 

Additional factors affecting when each sensor became inundated include the variation in topography and the associated 

mounting elevations of each SPT. 

The variation in the initial rates of rise of the water elevation also is notable. The difference in response between two 

SPTs in different locations of the floodway is illustrated in figure 13. Some SPTs, such as station number 363514089134101 

in figure 13 (fig. 4, map site number h38) were placed in an 

area of backwater (typically at the southern end of the floodway) and submerged long before the upper inflow breach was 

initiated. The data from these SPTs indicate a more gradual 

increase in water elevation from rising backwaters until the 

breach inflows accelerate the rise in stage. SPTs that display a 

sharp beginning rise in water-surface elevation, such as station 

number 365757089090901 (fig. 4, map site number h1), were 

dry until floodway activation caused faster water level rises.

The rate of rise at various locations also may be of interest when studying the behavior of the floodway. Maximum 

rates of rise were computed for all 37 SPTs measuring the 

rise and listed in table 1. The table shows each station with 

its fastest periods of 5-minute, 15-minute, and 1-hour rates 

of rise. For convenient comparison, each rate is listed in feet 

per minute. The greatest 5-minute rise of 2.55 feet occurred 

at station number 365242089110501 (fig. 4, map site number 

h17). The rise occurred more than 2 hours after the activation and nearly 6 miles away from the inflow breach. The 

greatest 15-minute rise of 5.21 feet was measured at station 

number 365751089080301 (fig. 4, map site number h3), just 

20 minutes after activation, about 1,000 feet from the inflow 

breach. The greatest 1-hour rise of 8.12 feet occurred at station number 365538089080001 (fig. 4, map site number h11), 

about 80 minutes after the activation and more than 1 mile 

from the breach. 

In addition to the patterns mentioned already, the data 

include noticeable concurrent small rises across many SPTs, 

which may indicate a rain event. As previously noted, users 

also may notice the empty dataset from station number 

364629089105201 (fig. 4, map site number h28), indicating 

that this sensor was never submerged at all. 

Table 2 summarizes the data available from the 43 SPTs. 

This table includes the following information:

• Map site number corresponding to locations in figure 4 

map.

• 15-digit USGS station number for finding data on 

NWISweb.

• Latitude and longitude of the station location.

• Elevation of the SPT sensor.

• Date/time sensor first became submerged.

• Peak water-surface elevation, and the date and time of 

occurrence.

• Uncertainty associated with each dataset.

The water-surface elevations reported in the datasets are 

dependent on the accurate measurement of water depth and 

the accurate measurement of the each SPTs elevation. Therefore, the uncertainty mentioned in the list above is composed 

of two main sources: (1) the uncertainty related to the SPTs 

measurement accuracy and (2) the uncertainty associated with 

determining the SPTs elevation. The first measure is fairly 

straightforward since the manufacturer reports the accuracy 

of the devices as +/- 0.015 feet for the application used in this 

study. Thus, it is assumed that any elevation reported in the 

dataset is within 0.015 feet of the true value relative to other 

values recorded by that same SPT; however, when comparing a given value to other SPTs or other applications outside 

of this study, the uncertainty of the device’s elevation also 

B. U.S. Geological Survey station number 365757089090901

New Madrid Floodway activation: May 2, 2011, 10:03pm

New Madrid Floodway activation: May 2, 2011, 10:03pm

314

316

318

320

322

324

326

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A. U.S. Geological Survey station number 363514089134101

300

302

304

306

308

310

Water-surface elevation, in feet above North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88)

Date (May 2011)

Figure 13. Water-surface elevation hydrographs for A, station 

experiencing natural backwater effects prior to New Madrid 

Floodway activation and B, station experiencing first submersion 

resulting from New Madrid Floodway activation.
Table 1. Maximum rates of water level rise, in feet per minute, for locations in the New Madrid Floodway.

[All values rounded to hundredths of a foot per minute. Bold red values indicate maxima in each category]

Station number 5-minute rise ending at: 15-minute rise ending at: 1-hour rise ending at:

365757089090901 0.24 May-02 23:08 0.22 May-02 23:12 0.11 May-02 23:56

365757089085401 0.18 May-02 22:54 0.16 May-02 23:03 0.10 May-02 23:48

365751089080301 0.43 May-02 22:17 0.35 May-02 22:24 0.13 May-02 23:06

365751089080101 0.08 May-02 22:36 0.06 May-02 22:46 0.03 May-03 00:31

365745089090401 0.18 May-02 23:09 0.16 May-02 23:11 0.10 May-02 23:46

365734089084501 0.30 May-02 22:36 0.17 May-02 22:46 0.09 May-02 23:31

365637089070601 0.24 May-02 22:33 0.16 May-02 22:33 0.08 May-02 23:18

365625089101701 0.29 May-02 23:33 0.18 May-02 23:43 0.08 May-03 00:28

365559089065501 0.06 May-03 00:08 0.04 May-03 00:02 0.03 May-03 00:28

365553089085601 0.28 May-02 22:36 0.18 May-02 23:17 0.13 May-02 23:29

365538089080001 0.48 May-02 22:35 0.32 May-02 22:41 0.14 May-02 23:23

365452089105201 0.10 May-03 00:30 0.05 May-03 00:40 0.02 May-03 01:25

365451089124501 0.09 May-03 02:28 0.07 May-03 01:47 0.04 May-03 02:33

365441089092401 0.30 May-02 23:51 0.14 May-03 00:01 0.08 May-03 00:46

365438089072901 0.28 May-02 22:51 0.23 May-02 22:56 0.12 May-02 23:30

365321089082901 0.25 May-02 23:32 0.21 May-02 23:34 0.13 May-03 00:00

365242089110501 0.51 May-03 00:50 0.25 May-03 01:00 0.12 May-03 01:45

365239089153701 0.06 May-03 04:33 0.04 May-03 04:40 0.02 May-03 05:25

365216089091101 0.21 May-03 00:17 0.11 May-03 00:27 0.07 May-03 01:12

365057089140401 0.31 May-03 03:28 0.22 May-03 03:38 0.09 May-03 04:23

365057089121801 0.09 May-03 03:19 0.06 May-03 04:00 0.05 May-03 03:19

365056089163601 0.02 May-11 14:13 0.01 May-11 14:13 0.00 May-07 10:58

364939089112101 0.05 May-03 04:44 0.04 May-03 04:55 0.02 May-03 05:42

364912089145201 0.12 May-03 04:34 0.11 May-03 04:39 0.07 May-03 05:22

364910089180401 0.21 May-03 07:10 0.13 May-03 07:19 0.07 May-03 08:04

364635089145003 0.04 May-03 02:03 0.04 May-03 02:15 0.03 May-03 02:42

364634089180501 0.05 May-03 06:45 0.04 May-03 06:45 0.03 May-03 07:21

364441089211901 0.02 Apr-30 22:50 0.01 May-03 09:56 0.01 May-03 09:21

364238089115601 0.04 May-07 12:46 0.02 May-07 12:46 0.00 May-07 12:51

364133089224401 0.06 May-07 12:49 0.02 May-07 13:19 0.01 May-03 14:40

363935089114401 0.05 May-06 01:14 0.02 May-06 01:24 0.01 May-03 14:16

363912089224801 0.12 May-02 17:58 0.04 May-02 00:29 0.01 Apr-30 13:41

363849089254201 0.05 May-07 13:19 0.02 May-07 13:29 0.01 May-03 16:33

363816089184001 0.03 May-01 23:49 0.02 May-01 15:34 0.01 May-03 13:24

363653089170701 0.06 May-04 00:38 0.02 May-04 01:23 0.01 May-04 00:55

363537089300001 0.04 May-03 12:41 0.01 May-03 12:41 0.01 May-03 12:41

363514089134101 0.05 May-02 20:34 0.02 May-01 14:58 0.01 May-03 14:54

Hydrodynamic Data Associated With the Activation of the New Madrid Floodway 15
16 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

Table 2. Summary of temporary stage recorder data.

[USGS, U.S. Geological Survey; n/a, not applicable]

Map site 

number 

(fig. 4)

USGS station 

number

Station 

latitude 

(decimal 

degrees)

Station 

longitude 

(decimal 

degrees)

Sensor 

elevation 

(feet)

Date and time 

sensor first 

submerged

Peak water 

elevation 

(feet)

Date and time 

of peak water 

elevation

Water 

elevation 

uncertainty 

(feet)

h1 365757089090901 36.96572 -89.15260 314.24 May 02 22:56 324.10 May 03 07:40 0.13

h2 365757089085401 36.96573 -89.14837 314.31 May 02 22:48 324.24 May 03 06:39 0.13

h3 365751089080301 36.96411 -89.13415 311.83 May 02 14:13 324.17 May 03 07:03 0.13

h4 365751089080101 36.96404 -89.13371 318.07 May 02 22:29 324.24 May 03 06:51 0.14

h5 365745089090401 36.96262 -89.15118 314.30 May 02 22:46 324.24 May 03 06:55 0.13

h6 365734089084501 36.95947 -89.14582 314.01 May 02 22:31 324.16 May 03 06:52 0.13

h7 365637089070601 36.94361 -89.11839 314.35 May 02 22:11 325.01 May 03 07:47 0.20

h8 365625089101701 36.94017 -89.17137 316.40 May 02 23:28 323.69 May 03 07:10 0.05

h9 365559089065501 36.93317 -89.11519 319.09 May 02 23:16 323.76 May 03 07:10 0.25

h10 365553089085601 36.93140 -89.14893 308.90 Apr 29 06:00 323.86 May 03 06:54 0.05

h11 365538089080001 36.92712 -89.13342 308.86 Apr 29 01:00 323.78 May 03 07:00 0.05

h12 365452089105201 36.91454 -89.18101 318.25 May 03 00:25 322.52 May 03 07:41 0.05

h13 365451089124501 36.91428 -89.21237 316.51 May 03 01:32 321.89 May 03 08:22 0.12

h14 365441089092401 36.91140 -89.15670 315.81 May 02 23:46 323.09 May 03 07:27 0.05

h15 365438089072901 36.91050 -89.12473 309.88 May 02 04:09 323.14 May 03 07:24 0.13

h16 365321089082901 36.88925 -89.14148 310.49 May 02 22:53 322.70 May 03 07:29 0.19

h17 365242089110501 36.87820 -89.18468 310.23 May 03 00:45 321.63 May 03 07:29 0.12

h18 365239089153701 36.87762 -89.26019 312.72 May 03 04:25 314.64 May 03 08:46 0.12

h19 365216089091101 36.87124 -89.15311 311.78 May 03 00:12 321.79 May 03 07:31 0.27

h20 365057089140401 36.84906 -89.23453 304.91 May 03 03:23 313.20 May 05 15:45 0.09

h21 365057089121801 36.84906 -89.20502 302.52 May 01 15:23 313.45 May 05 15:05 0.12

h22 365056089163601 36.84885 -89.27669 310.91 May 04 02:15 311.93 May 05 16:15 0.09

h23 364939089112101 36.82763 -89.18919 309.67 May 03 04:34 312.63 May 05 15:24 0.51

h24 364912089145201 36.82003 -89.24777 301.93 May 03 04:13 311.60 May 05 23:05 0.09

h25 364910089180401 36.81946 -89.30117 302.66 May 03 07:04 311.36 May 06 15:43 0.09

h26 364635089145003 36.77627 -89.24729 302.18 May 02 23:03 311.06 May 06 10:16 0.03

h27 364634089180501 36.77607 -89.30139 300.75 May 01 02:01 310.84 May 06 15:06 0.03

h28 364629089105201 36.77480 -89.18110 312.77 n/a n/a n/a n/a

h29 364441089211901 36.74464 -89.35527 299.02 Apr 29 14:08 310.24 May 06 15:43 0.07

h30 364238089115601 36.71067 -89.19896 308.77 May 04 17:44 309.80 May 07 12:46 0.14

h31 364133089224401 36.69262 -89.37885 303.69 May 03 12:57 309.74 May 07 12:49 0.07

h32 363935089114401 36.65982 -89.19562 303.40 May 03 12:33 309.71 May 06 01:03 0.25

h33 363912089224801 36.65340 -89.37999 299.86 Apr 29 11:44 309.00 May 06 06:39 0.02

h34 363849089254201 36.64684 -89.42821 303.67 May 03 14:29 308.84 May 07 12:57 0.02

h35 363816089184001 36.63776 -89.31123 298.72 Apr 29 16:52 309.47 May 06 05:49 0.07

h36 363653089170701 36.61464 -89.28537 305.40 May 03 18:46 309.52 May 06 06:44 0.14

h37 363537089300001 36.59357 -89.49989 302.62 May 03 10:42 306.40 May 05 20:41 0.03

h38 363514089134101 36.58725 -89.22795 300.22 May 01 07:06 309.64 May 07 09:55 0.10

s1 365758089092301 36.96611 -89.15636 314.24 n/a 318.43 May 18 20:00 0.13

s2 365610089065601 36.93619 -89.11551 314.60 n/a 318.01 May 18 16:00 0.24

s3 364912089144501 36.82006 -89.24586 300.02 n/a 306.83 May 18 08:15 0.09

s4 364635089145001 36.77627 -89.24729 301.29 n/a 305.67 May 18 08:15 0.03

s5 363912089224803 36.65340 -89.37999 294.21 n/a 303.88 May 18 08:15 0.02
Hydrodynamic Data Associated With the Activation of the New Madrid Floodway 17

must be taken into account. As shown in table 2, the total 

uncertainty ranges from 0.02 feet to 0.27 feet, except for station number 364939089112101 (fig. 4, map site number h23, 

discussed below), with the average being about 0.12 feet. The 

sources of this uncertainty included the uncertainty in the 

Global Positioning System (GPS) survey of nearby reference 

marks, which ranged from less than 0.01 feet to 0.25 feet, 

and the uncertainty in the leveling methods and equipment 

used to relate the sensor elevations to those reference marks, 

which was in the range of 0 to 0.01 feet. In the special case 

of station number 364939089112101 (fig. 4, map site number 

h23), evidence during recovery indicated that the device had 

been disturbed just prior to recovery (after data collection had 

ceased), increasing the uncertainty in the vertical location of 

the device and thus the true elevations of the data. As a result, 

the original location was estimated from photos, adding about 

0.3 feet to its uncertainty.

Continuous Stage and Streamflow Data

USGS and USACE real-time streamgage data as well 

as archives of 2011 flood data are available on the agencies’ 

respective Web sites. USGS streamgage data can be found at 

http://waterdata.usgs.gov. In addition, the USGS has posted 

selected CSV file archives for the 2011 flood period on their 

flood webpage at http://water.usgs.gov/floods/events/2011/

BPNM/data_archive/. Most USACE streamgage data can be 

found at http://www.rivergages.com. Some data only are available by contacting the USACE Memphis District. 

Discrete Observations of Streamflow, Velocity, 

and Depth

In addition to the time series of water-surface elevation 

data described previously, the USGS has provided a collection 

of discrete observations of streamflow, including hydrodynamic velocity and depth data, in the data archive at http://

water.usgs.gov/floods/events/2011/BPNM/data_archive/. Visitors to this Web site will find detailed data files for measurements made in the floodway at each of the inflow and outflow 

locations, as well as main stem Mississippi and Ohio River 

locations around the floodway area as shown in figure 10. A 

georeferenced file named “BPNM_streamflow.kml” containing the locations shown in figure 10 also is available on the 

Web site. The .kml format is a popular XML-based format that 

can be imported easily into many mapping and Geographic 

Information System applications. The locations shown in 

the “BPNM_streamflow.kml” file indicate the approximate 

sections where ADCP measurements were made. A detailed 

summary of these measurements can be found in table 4 at the 

back of this report.

Measurement Locations

Floodway inflow measurements are presented for the 

inflow at the upper inflow breach near Birds Point (station number 365659089073101) as well as for the middle 

inflow breach near Big Oak Tree State Park (station number 

363740089180601) as shown in figure 10. The upper inflow 

near Birds Point was the primary inflow for the floodway, with 

a peak diversion of more than 400,000 ft3/s from the main 

stem of the Mississippi River in the early period of activation. 

The middle inflow breach was activated on the afternoon of 

May 5. This inflow contributed less than 90,000 ft3/s at any 

given time, but contributed more than one-half of the inflow 

after May 17 as the inflow from the upper breach tapered off. 

ADCP streamflow measurements for both locations were 

made primarily on the inside of the floodway with hydrographers taking a variety of paths across the breaches to capture 

the bathymetry of the scour holes developing day-to-day. It 

should be noted that the streamflow measured at the upper 

inflow (station number 365659089083101) is a component of 

the total streamflow summarized at Wickliffe (station number 

07022300) as described later in this section. 

Outflow measurements are presented for the lower outflow breach (station number 363454089285900) and the natural 1,500-foot outflow opening of the floodway (station number 363524089302700) near New Madrid. On May 3, the total 

streamflow exiting the floodway was determined by measuring 

these two sections separately and then adding the results. On 

the next day, however, measuring crews discovered that safer 

and more accurate measurements could be made 3 miles to the 

northeast where State Highway P crosses a narrow section of 

the floodway. Single streamflow measurements at this location (station number 363618089251701) were considered 

equivalent to the combined measurements made downstream 

because all water flowing from either outflow had to first flow 

past this location before exiting the floodway. Measurements 

continued here until May 30, 2012, when water levels dropped 

below navigable depth and separate measurements had to 

be made once again at the two outflows. When depths here 

reached levels that were no longer measurable with a powered 

boat, crews moved one more time back to station number 

363618089251701 to make the final 11 streamflow measurements from June 6 to June 14. At this location, flows were now 

reduced to a single channel with a bridge from which tethered 

ADCP streamflow measurements could be made.

The hydrographs in figure 14 depict the total inflows versus total outflows through the floodway from the end of April, 

just prior to activation, until mid-June when the diversion 

flow ceased. Data used to create these graphs are available on 

the USGS Flood Information Web site at http://water.usgs.

gov/floods/events/2011/BPNM/data_archive/ and the USGS 

NWISweb Web site at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/.
18 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri Streamflow, in cubic feet per second

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

Total outflow measured at combined outflow section

Primary outflow measured at 1,500 foot gap section

Partial outflow measured at lower outflow breach

Streamflow, in cubic feet per second

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

Streamflow, in cubic feet per second

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

Total inflow

EXPLANATION

Total outflow

4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

May June

4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

May June

4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

May June

B. New Madrid inflow components

A. New Madrid inflow and outflow

C. New Madrid outflow components No data

No data

Upper inflow breach

EXPLANATION

Middle inflow breach

EXPLANATION

Partial data

Partial data

No data

Partial data

Figure 14. Hydrographs of the 

New Madrid Floodway showing 

A, a comparison of the total 

inflows and total outflows, B, the 

components of the total inflow, 

and C, the components of the total 

outflow.
Hydrodynamic Data Associated With the Activation of the New Madrid Floodway 19

The same types of data collected for the inflow and 

outflow locations also were collected for main stem locations 

along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers near their confluence. These streamflow measurements are summarized in 

table 4. As previously noted, measurement locations on the 

Ohio River upstream from the confluence (station number 

365939089084601) often contained difficult overflow sections 

that required several hours to measure, thus reducing the measurement quality. Main channel measurements were reliable, 

but boat crews struggled to find valid overbank measurement 

sections until May 4. To complete the earlier measurements, 

an overflow estimation method was developed after the floods 

by comparing the total streamflow data from the upstream 

gage at Metropolis, Ill. (station number 03611500) to the valid 

overflow measurements made after May 3. A strong linear 

relation (R2

 greater than 0.98) was found between these two 

parameters and applied to the entire period to estimate overflows on days where a valid main channel measurement was 

made without a valid overflow measurement. Each resulting 

overflow estimate represented less than 20 percent of the total 

streamflow and allowed reasonable estimates of total streamflow on those days. Estimated measurements are labeled 

accordingly in table 4. Measurement files and estimates also 

are available in the data archive. 

Overflow estimates also were needed on the Mississippi 

River above Cairo (station number 370000089122601). The 

missing overflow measurements on the Mississippi River 

were estimated by interpolating results from other measurement days. Estimated measurements are labeled accordingly in 

table 4 at the end of this report. Details of those estimates can 

be found in the data archive. 

As described earlier in this report, streamflow measurements of the uppermost point on the lower Mississippi 

River (just below the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers) near Wickliffe were made in two different 

locations: station number 365730089063001 and station 

number 365638089060600. When combined with the 

streamflow measurements inside the Upper Inflow Breach 

(365659089073101), these three stations represent the total 

flow immediately below the confluence of the Mississippi 

and Ohio Rivers. Thus, there are three measurement locations 

for streamflow near Wickliffe. To simplify and summarize 

all three components, station number 07022300 was created for this location near Wickliffe. Users interested in the 

streamflow for the Mississippi River near Wickliff (which is 

the combination of the main channel, overbank flow outside 

the floodway, and that water diverted through the floodway) 

can use this NWIS station identification to find the total flow. 

Streamflow values found at station number 07022300 will 

either be a duplication of station number 365730089063001 

or a combination of station numbers 365638089060600 and 

36569089073101, depending on the date of measurement. 

Table 3 summarizes the relation among these four station 

numbers. Detailed files, described in the next section, can be 

found on the USGS Flood Information Web site for the three 

15-digit stations, whereas summary data on NWISweb can be 

found for all four stations listed above.

Table 3. Diagram relating streamflow measurement stations on the Mississippi River near Wickliffe, 

Kentucky.

Prior to May 2 activation After May 2 activation

365730089063001 Mississippi River below 

Ohio confluence

(Main stem and overflows)

365638089060600 Mississippi River below 

Birds Point levee

(Main stem and overflows)

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway 

upper inflow breach at Birds Point

(Diverted floodway streamflow)

07022300 Mississippi River near Wickliffe, Kentucky

(Summary of all flows)
20 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

Types of Data Files

The types of streamflow measurement data files are listed 

here and described in more detail below:

• Measurement summaries showing total streamflow, 

average velocity, and other details (.pdf)

• Raw, vendor-specific ADCP measurement data files: 

(.PD0, .mmt, .riv, and .wsp files)

• Measurement export files (_ASC.TXT and .mat)

• Water velocity data files including:

• Top surface velocity profiles (.top)

• Channel bottom velocity profiles (.bot)

• Average velocity profiles (.vav)

• Total velocity profiles describing velocities at all 

depths (.vel)

• Detailed depth profiles (.wab)

• GPS-based transect paths taken by measuring crews 

(.kml)

Measurement summaries include field notes from measurement crews as well as summary data of each measurement. A typical field notes file, named “measurement.pdf” 

in the data archive, includes a “front sheet” indicating the 

conditions and parameters (date, time, weather conditions, 

equipment used, and other details) under which the measurement was made. This will be followed by any available 

measurement summaries showing the computed parameters 

of the measurement such as streamflow (discharge), cross 

section area, width, and average velocities. In many cases, 

flow rates were determined from transects that also were used 

for velocity mapping or bathymetric mapping. Viewers will 

note, in these cases, that the measurement transects are often a 

small subset of a larger number of transects that were used for 

mapping.

The measurement data files include all of the raw files 

(.PD0 and .riv) that were produced by the ADCP software, as 

well as summary files (.mmt and .wsp) that contain processing 

commands and settings unique to each measurement, generated when the operators processed and quality-checked these 

measurements. Users will need to be familiar with Teledyne 

RDI’s® WinRiverIITM software to open the .PD0/.mmt files 

or SonTek’s® River Surveyor LiveTM software to open the 

.riv/.wsp files. 

Export files, which are useful as input files for further processing, have been placed within most data archive 

folders. The format of these files is defined by the vendors, 

and is intended to be importable to any number of software 

applications for further analysis. In particular, the _ASC.TXT 

files are a text format, whereas the .mat files are in a MatLab 

format (Mathworks, 2005). Each export file represents one 

transect, which is a single pass across the measurement section 

in a direction perpendicular to the flow. Each transect file is 

organized into ensembles and bins as shown in figure 15. An 

ensemble is a column of water from the surface to the streambed whose width is the distance that the measuring boat travels 

in about 1 second (typically on the order of a few inches to a 

few feet). The ADCP records many ensembles as it crosses 

a river from one bank to the other, with ensembles getting 

taller as the depth increases and wider as boat speed increases. 

These ensembles are divided into depth bins, representing 

individual velocity measurements by the ADCP at different 

depths as shown in figure 15.

Ensemble = collection of velocity measurements

in a single water column

Bin = single velocity measurement within 

an ensemble

Figure 15. A typical acoustic Doppler current profiler 

measurement ensemble and bin.

Further processing was done for most measurements to 

create velocity and depth profiles. Published profiles include 

.top files, which describe the velocities in the first measured 

bin of each ensemble within each transect. Note that the first 

measured bin typically occurs between 1 and 4 feet below the 

water surface due to the draft of the instrument and a blanking 

distance directly beneath the transducer. There also are .bot 

files that list the velocities of the measured bins closest to the 

streambed within each transect. Like the top bins, bottom bins 

do not reach all the way to the intended surface, the streambed, 

because of side-lobe interference (Mueller and Wagner, 2009). 

Users can compare the .bot files to the .wab files (described 

later in this section) to understand how much distance is 

unmeasured at the bottom of each ensemble. Depth-averaged 

ensemble velocities are given in the .vav files; these files 
References Cited 21

contain one velocity value for each column of water, averaged 

from the streambed to the surface. Detailed velocity profiles 

for all measured bins within the transect have been generated 

as .vel files. The four file types described above are in a text 

file format as tab-separated values. Locations listed in the files 

are given in meters based on the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system, zone 16. The fields labeled “u” 

and “v” are used in the files to describe the east and north 

velocities, respectively, but velocity magnitude and direction 

also are reported in the “mag” and “hdir” fields, where “hdir” 

refers to horizontal azimuth from true north. All velocities are 

reported in feet per second. Elevation fields should be ignored 

in these four files because they are based on GPS data with 

low vertical accuracy, combined with arbitrary GPS antenna 

heights. The .wab files found in the data archive provide information about depths from the water surface to the streambed 

in meters, using the same UTM zone 16 coordinates as the 

velocity profiles, also in meters. Again, it is important to note 

that the elevation field in this and other profile files should be 

ignored because the placement of GPS antennas varied widely 

from measurement to measurement.

Users wishing to visualize the actual paths of each measurement transect will find .kml ship track files within each 

measurement folder. Within the ship track file, transects are 

numbered from one to the total number of transects that were 

used in that measurement. Because multiple transects may 

have been aborted or unused in the measurement, the transect numbers will not necessarily match the transect numbers 

found in the measurement summaries. In some cases, the ship 

track files were not generated at all due to a lack of GPS data. 

Summary

The U.S. Geological Survey initiated a substantial effort 

in the summer of 2011 to measure and document the recordsetting floods of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway, which had not occurred 

since 1937, provided a unique opportunity to collect a dataset 

describing a flood wave downstream from a levee breach as 

well as the characteristics of flow through a large floodway. A 

total of 42 stage sensing devices collected time series of water 

levels within the floodway. 

 U.S. Geological Survey crews also conducted measurements of depth, velocity, and streamflow at selected locations 

in the floodway and the main channels of the Mississippi and 

Ohio Rivers throughout the period from late April to late June. 

The U.S. Geological Survey made more than 200 discrete 

observations of streamflow near the Ohio River and Mississippi River confluence, as well as inside and outside of the 

floodway. These measurements are summarized in this report 

and stored in a publicly available online data archive. These 

data provide both insight into the hydrodynamics of levee 

breaches and the hydrodynamics of large river/floodway 

interaction. 

References Cited

Camillo, C.A., 2012, Divine providence—The 2011 flood in 

the Mississippi River and tributaries project: Vicksburg, 

Mississippi, Mississippi River Commission, 312 p.

Langbein, W.B., and Iseri, K.T., 1960, General introduction 

and hydrologic definitions: U.S. Geological Survey WaterSupply Paper 1541–A, 29 p.

Mason, R.R., Jr., and Weiger, B.A., 1995, Stream gaging and 

flood forecasting—A Partnership of the U.S. Geological 

Survey and the National Weather Service: U.S. Dept. of 

the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 

accessed November 19, 2012, at http://water.usgs.gov/wid/

FS_209-95/mason-weiger.html.

Mathworks, Inc., 2005, Matlab—The language of technical 

computing: Natick, Massachusets, ver. 7.1.

McGee, B.D, Goree, B.B., Tollett, R.W., Woodward, B.K., and 

Kress, W.H., 2005, Hurricane Rita surge data, southwestern 

Louisiana and southeastern Texas, September to November 2005: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series Report 

220, accessed March 21, 2013, at http://pubs.usgs.gov/

ds/2006/220/.

Mississippi River Commission, 2011, 2011 MR&T Flood 

Report: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 45 p., accessed 

March 21, 2013, at http://www.mvd.usace.army.mil/

Portals/52/docs/MRC/MRC_2011_Flood_Report.pdf.

Mississippi River Commision, 2012, The Mississippi River 

and Tributaries Project—Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway Information Paper: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

17 p., accessed March 21, 2013 at http://www.mvd.usace.

army.mil/Portals/52/docs/Birds%20Point-New%20

Madrid%20info%20paper%20FINAL%200426.pdf.

Mueller, D.S., and Wagner, C.R., 2009, Measuring discharge 

with acoustic Doppler current profilers from a moving boat: 

U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, book 3, 

chap. A22, 72 p.

Rydlund, P.H., Jr., and Densmore, B.K., 2012, Methods of 

practice and guidelines for using survey-grade global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) to establish vertical datum 

in the United States Geological Survey: U.S. Geological 

Survey Techniques and Methods, book 11, chap. D1, 102 p. 

with appendixes.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2008, National Water Information 

System: U.S. Geological Survey Web interface, accessed on 

April 29, 2013, at http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov.

Glossary 23

Glossary

Note: Glossary definitions are taken from Langbein and Iseri (1960) whenever possible.

discharge In its simplest concept discharge 

means outflow; therefore, the use of this term 

is not restricted as to course or location, and 

it can be applied to describe the flow of water 

from a pipe or from a drainage basin. 

flood An overflow or inundation that comes 

from a river or other body of water, and 

causes or threatens damage. 

flood peak The highest value of the stage 

or streamflow attained by a flood, often 

designated as peak stage or peak streamflow, 

respectively. 

flood stage The stage at which overflow of 

the natural banks of a stream begins to cause 

damage in the reach where the water-surface 

elevation is measured. 

hydrograph A graph showing stage, streamflow, velocity, or other property of water with 

respect to time. 

peak stage See flood peak.

peak streamflow See flood peak.

precipitation As used in hydrology, precipitation is the discharge of water, in liquid or 

solid state, out of the atmosphere, generally 

upon a land or water surface. It is the common 

process by which atmospheric water becomes 

surface or subsurface water. The term “precipitation” also commonly is used to designate 

the quantity of water that is precipitated.

stage Height of a water surface above an 

established datum, also known as gage height.

streamflow Discharge from a natural 

channel. Although the term discharge can be 

applied to flow in a canal, the word streamflow uniquely describes the discharge in a 

surface stream course. The units of measurement often are reported in cubic feet per 

second (ft3

/s).

streamgage A particular site on a stream 

where a record of streamflow is obtained. 

trend The change of a particular variable 

with either time or spatial location as computed by statistical analysis.
24 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

Table 4. Streamflow measurements at stations near the New Madrid Floodway during the Midwest floods of 2011.

[Sources include: PD0: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measurements using TRDI WinRiverIITM platform; riv: USGS measurements using SonTek® RiverSurveyorTM platform; USACE: Measurements made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. N, no; Y, yes]

Station number Station name Source

Additional filesa

available:

Streamflow

(cubic feet per second)

Velocity kml Main channel Overflow Total

April 26

03611500 Ohio River at Metropolis, Illinois PD0 N N 1,080,000

April 28

07022000 Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois PD0 Y Y 777,000

365730089063001 Mississippi River below Ohio confluence PD0 Y Y 1,830,000

April 29

07022000 Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois PD0 Y Y 766,000

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 660,000 176,000 836,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 800,000 172,000b 972,000

April 30

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 836,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 778,000 181,000b 959,000

365730089063001 Mississippi River below Ohio confluence PD0 Y Y 1,830,000

May 1

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 811,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 N Y 854,000 205,000b 1,060,000

365730089063001 Mississippi River below Ohio confluence PD0 Y Y 1,870,000

May 2

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 637,000 177,000 815,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 873,000 239,000b 1,110,000

May 3

03611500 Ohio River at Metropolis, Illinois PD0 Y N 1,300,000

07022000 Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois PD0 Y Y 730,000

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 N Y 694,000 183,000b 877,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 999,000 270,000b 1,270,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 404,000

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee PD0 Y Y 1,650,000

363454089285900 New Madrid Floodway lower breach no. 2 PD0 Y Y 18,600

363524089302700 New Madrid Floodway outflow 1,500-foot 

gap 

PD0 Y Y 113,000

May 4

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 833,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 997,000 293,000riv 1,290,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 397,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 375,000

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee PD0 Y Y 1,610,000

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 313,000

May 5

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 758,000
Table 4 25

Table 4. Streamflow measurements at stations near the New Madrid Floodway during the Midwest Floods of 2011.—Continued

[Sources include: PD0: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measurements using TRDI WinRiverIITM platform; riv: USGS measurements using SonTek® RiverSurveyorTM platform; USACE: Measurements made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. N, no; Y, yes]

Station number Station name Source

Additional filesa

available:

Streamflow

(cubic feet per second)

Velocity kml Main channel Overflow Total

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 1,020,000 285,000b 1,310,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 365,000

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee PD0 Y Y 1,700,000

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee PD0 Y Y 2,040,000

May 6

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 689,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 1,060,000 285,000b 1,350,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 352,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 382,000

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee PD0 Y Y 1,580,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 4,440

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 N Y 383,000

May 7

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 380,000

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 N Y 377,000

May 8

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 N Y 537,000 84,000b 621,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 N Y 1,070,000 281,000b 1,350,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 347,000

07024070 Mississippi River at Hickman, Kentucky USACE N N 1,675,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 15,400

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 Y Y 362,000

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee USACE N N 1,942,000

May 9

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 582,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 1,000,000 274,000b 1,270,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 N Y 307,000

07024070 Mississippi River at Hickman, Ky USACE N N 1,625,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 18,200

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 Y Y 349,000

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee USACE N N 1,943,000

May 10

07022000 Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois PD0 Y Y 551,000

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 559,000
26 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

Station number Station name Source

Additional filesa

available:

Streamflow

(cubic feet per second)

Velocity kml Main channel Overflow Total

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 271,000

07024070 Mississippi River at Hickman, Kentucky USACE N N 1,605,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 23,500

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 342,000

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee USACE N N 1,895,000

May 11

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 526,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 997,000 255,000b 1,250,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 1,020,000 255,000b 1,280,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 281,000

07024070 Mississippi River at Hickman, Kentucky USACE N N 1,575,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 20,800

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 Y Y 334,000

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee USACE N N 1,875,000

May 12

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 546,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 966,000 251,000 1,220,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 254,000

07024070 Mississippi River at Hickman, Kentucky USACE N N 1,555,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 61,300

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 Y Y 324,000

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee USACE N N 1,858,000

May 13

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 221,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 75,600

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 Y Y 330,000

May 14

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 519,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 964,000 205,000b 1,170,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 198,000

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee PD0 Y Y 1,390,000

07024070 Mississippi River At Hickman, Kentucky USACE N N 1,430,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 82,500

Table 4. Streamflow measurements at stations near the New Madrid Floodway during the Midwest Floods of 2011.—Continued

[Sources include: PD0: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measurements using TRDI WinRiverIITM platform; riv: USGS measurements using SonTek® RiverSurveyorTM platform; USACE: Measurements made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. N, no; Y, yes]
Table 4 27

Station number Station name Source

Additional filesa

available:

Streamflow

(cubic feet per second)

Velocity kml Main channel Overflow Total

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 Y Y 314,000

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee USACE N N 1,604,000 98,000 1,702,000

May 15

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 509,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 900,000 181,000 1,080,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 N Y 159,000

07024070 Mississippi River At Hickman, Kentucky USACE N N 1,391,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 86,300

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 N Y 288,000

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee USACE N N 1,544,000 82,000 1,626,000

May 16

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 N Y 507,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 886,000 155,000 1,040,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 N N 128,000

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee PD0 Y Y 1,340,000

07024070 Mississippi River At Hickman, Kentucky USACE N N 1,379,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 87,100

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 N Y 264,000

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee USACE N N 1,522,000 72,000 1,594,000

May 17

03611500 Ohio River at Metropolis, Illinois PD0 N N 931,000

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 N Y 507,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 807,000 145,000b 952,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 N N 101,000

07024070 Mississippi River at Hickman, Kentucky USACE N N 1,355,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 86,900

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 N Y 241,000

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee USACE N N 1,493,000 66,000 1,559,000

May 18

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 464,000 43,600b 508,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 763,000 101,000 864,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 71,200

07024070 Mississippi River at Hickman, Kentucky USACE N N 1,305,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 83,700

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 N Y 210,000

Table 4. Streamflow measurements at stations near the New Madrid Floodway during the Midwest Floods of 2011.—Continued

[Sources include: PD0: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measurements using TRDI WinRiverIITM platform; riv: USGS measurements using SonTek® RiverSurveyorTM platform; USACE: Measurements made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. N, no; Y, yes]
28 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

Station number Station name Source

Additional filesa

available:

Streamflow

(cubic feet per second)

Velocity kml Main channel Overflow Total

362216089303901 Mississippi River at Tiptonville, Tennessee USACE N N 1,480,000 47,000 1,527,000

May 19

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv N N 61,100

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 61,000

07024070 Mississippi River at Hickman, Kentucky USACE N N 1,243,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 76,700

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 N Y 183,000

May 20

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois riv Y Y 483,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 671,000 86,800 758,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

PD0 Y Y 27,900

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee PD0 Y Y 1,240,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

PD0 Y Y 63,000

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 N Y 147,000

May 21

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 465,000 21,200b 486,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 642,000 60,800 703,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 15,800

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee PD0 Y Y 1,170,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 50,700

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 N Y 127,000

May 22

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 467,000 14,100b 481,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 592,000 46,100 638,000

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee PD0 Y Y 1,100,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 40,100

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv N N 87,000

May 23

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 469,000 7,050b 476,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 585,000 36,000 621,000

365638089060600 Mississippi River below Birds Point levee PD0 Y Y 1,100,000

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 75,500

May 24

370000089122601 Mississippi River above Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 491,000

365939089084601 Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois PD0 Y Y 561,000 29,500 591,000

Table 4. Streamflow measurements at stations near the New Madrid Floodway during the Midwest Floods of 2011.—Continued

[Sources include: PD0: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measurements using TRDI WinRiverIITM platform; riv: USGS measurements using SonTek® RiverSurveyorTM platform; USACE: Measurements made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. N, no; Y, yes]
Table 4 29

Station number Station name Source

Additional filesa

available:

Streamflow

(cubic feet per second)

Velocity kml Main channel Overflow Total

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 3,550

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 28,900

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 54,000

May 25

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 1,110

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 45,400

May 26

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 738

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 19,300

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 35,100

May 27

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 695

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 13,600

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 29,000

May 28

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 461

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 12,900

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 28,100

May 29

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 647

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 12,100

May 30

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 730

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 13,500

363454089285900 New Madrid Floodway lower breach no. 2 riv N N 706

363524089302700 New Madrid Floodway outflow 1,500-foot 

gap 

riv Y Y 22,400

May 31

03611500 Ohio River at Metropolis, Illinois PD0 N N 553,000

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 1,700

Table 4. Streamflow measurements at stations near the New Madrid Floodway during the Midwest Floods of 2011.—Continued

[Sources include: PD0: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measurements using TRDI WinRiverIITM platform; riv: USGS measurements using SonTek® RiverSurveyorTM platform; USACE: Measurements made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. N, no; Y, yes]
30 Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri

Station number Station name Source

Additional filesa

available:

Streamflow

(cubic feet per second)

Velocity kml Main channel Overflow Total

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 15,600

363454089285900 New Madrid Floodway lower breach no. 2 riv Y Y 662

363524089302700 New Madrid Floodway outflow 1,500-foot 

gap 

riv Y Y 21,900

June 1

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 1,760

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 16,300

363454089285900 New Madrid Floodway lower breach no. 2 riv Y Y 649

363524089302700 New Madrid Floodway outflow 1,500-foot 

gap 

riv Y Y 21,200

June 2

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y 916

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 15,300

363454089285900 New Madrid Floodway lower breach no. 2 riv Y Y 696

363524089302700 New Madrid Floodway outflow 1,500-foot 

gap 

riv Y Y 20,800

June 3

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y no inflow

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 12,900

363454089285900 New Madrid Floodway lower breach no. 2 riv Y Y 633

363524089302700 New Madrid Floodway outflow 1,500-foot 

gap 

riv Y Y 21,600

June 4

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y no inflow

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 7,160

363454089285900 New Madrid Floodway lower breach no. 2 riv Y Y 557

363524089302700 New Madrid Floodway outflow 1,500-foot 

gap 

riv Y Y 20,900

Table 4. Streamflow measurements at stations near the New Madrid Floodway during the Midwest Floods of 2011.—Continued

[Sources include: PD0: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measurements using TRDI WinRiverIITM platform; riv: USGS measurements using SonTek® RiverSurveyorTM platform; USACE: Measurements made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. N, no; Y, yes]
Table 4 31

Station number Station name Source

Additional filesa

available:

Streamflow

(cubic feet per second)

Velocity kml Main channel Overflow Total

June 5

365659089073101 New Madrid Floodway upper inflow 

breach at Birds Point 

riv Y Y no inflow

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 3,630

363454089285900 New Madrid Floodway lower breach no. 2 riv Y Y 357

363524089302700 New Madrid Floodway outflow 1,500-foot 

gap 

riv Y Y 17,800

June 6

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 1,780

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 10,300

June 7

07022000 Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois PD0 Y Y 579,000

363740089180601 New Madrid Floodway middle breach 

no. 1 

riv Y Y 413

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv N N 9,590

June 8

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv N N 8,310

June 9

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv N N 6,880

June 10

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv N N 5,630

June 11

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 Y Y 5,190

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 5,160

June 12

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow PD0 N N 4,740

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 4,700

June 13

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 4,190

June 14

363618089251701 New Madrid Floodway combined outflow riv Y Y 3,540

a

 Additional velocity files may include top, bottom, average, and total depth velocity profiles.

b

 Estimated.

Table 4. Streamflow measurements at stations near the New Madrid Floodway during the Midwest Floods of 2011.—Continued

[Sources include: PD0: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measurements using TRDI WinRiverIITM platform; riv: USGS measurements using SonTek® RiverSurveyorTM platform; USACE: Measurements made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. N, no; Y, yes]
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For more information concerning this publication, contact: 

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415 National Center 

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive 

Reston, VA 20192 

(703) 648-5301

Or visit the Office of Surface Water Web site at: 

http://water.usgs.gov/osw/

Koenig and Holmes—Documenting the Stages and Streamflows Associated With the 2011 Activation of the New Madrid Floodway, Missouri—PP 1798–E